Field of the Invention
The present invention relates most generally to apparatus for holding small items, such as eyeglasses or sunglasses, on fabric articles, and more particularly to an article holder for securing onto a cap or hat an article having an elongate element, such as the ear piece of eyeglasses or sunglasses having ear piece.
Background Discussion
Those involved in active outdoor lifestyles frequently wear protective headwear, such as a cap or hat, and equally frequently also wear protective eyewear, whether eyeglasses or sunglasses. Users routinely remove the glasses for any of a number of reasons, e.g., because the corrective prescription is temporarily unnecessary, because light conditions change and eliminate the need for filtering, or simply because they may be engaged in a conversation in which eye contact is appropriate. Accordingly, users need an expedient and convenient way to remove the glasses temporarily yet to keep them at the ready when their use is called for once again.
A commonly used solution is to use a strap secured to the eartip portion of the ear pieces so that removal of the glasses leaves the glasses dangling from the user's neck, in the manner of donning a necklace. If a cap or hat is worn, it is common for users simply to remove the glasses and secure them above the hat brim and crown and around the side panels of the cap slightly above the sweat band and over the user's ears.
While glasses straps are indeed quite convenient, some users find them uncomfortable. The strap bounces about on the back of the user's neck when the glasses are worn, and the glasses dangle rather heavily in front of and under the user's chin when removed.
On the other hand, simply removing glasses and placing them onto a cap or hat risks losing the glasses.
It would be desirable to have a small, inexpensive, easily installable and removable apparatus to secure articles, especially glasses, to a cap or hat. To that end, several article holders have been proposed, several involving magnets as the clamping mechanism. None, however, have provided a means for securing the article holder to a cap or hat or other fabric panel in such a way as to prevent inadvertent detachment of the article holder by lateral movement of one or more of the clamping elements.